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Press

Hype Magazine News Feature

Heads up! Big 'tings going on for The Boxtones.

Anyone who doesn't believe that hard work and determination pays off only need
look at this Dubai-based band for living proof. After three years of toiling
away under their own steam, the five-piece has recently been snapped up by
Universal Middle East and North Africa. And the Hype crew couldn't be
happier for them.

Gill and Gary Tierney, Will Janssen, Louise Peel
and Patrick Thibault are the kind of people that make things happen. Last year
alone, The Boxtones played nearly 200 shows, including Yasalam Beats On The
Beach, The Dubai Rugby Sevens and the Middle East Comic Con, performing with
the likes of Pharrell Williams, The Who and Jason Derulo.

After funding their album In The Pockets Of
Clowns, which was released early last year, the band's infectious pop rock
also saw them nominated for a host of awards around town, including Best Local
Band in last year's Hype Awards. The band also won the Hard Rock Rising Dubai
competition last year and represented the UAE in the Global Rockstar
Competition.

Reflecting on the effort put into their debut
album, drummer Gill told Hype: "The album took many forms, and
many versions before we felt it was right. We meticulously recorded,
re-recorded, overdubbed, scrapped, rewrote and killed off many tracks and
songs. When finally it came down to nine tracks, we commissioned a UK artist to
do our cover; we designed the artwork, and ran with a bunch of music videos we
recorded. It was well received, and we had radio and television airplay here in
the Middle East, and as far as Philadelphia in the States."

"We did all the promotion and distribution,
and it was hard work. Fortunately, we managed to secure some of the biggest
gigs in the region in 2014 because of it."

Small wonder then that the major label should come
sniffing around and sign up the band. Needles to say they're "delighted to
be working with a major" although keeping the news under wraps until the
deal was finalised proved tricky.

"It's been excruciating not being able to say
anything until it became official," laughed Gill. "We're all very
excited to be working with a great bunch of professionals that share our
enthusiasm for music. Everyone in The Boxtones has worked very hard on our
band, our image and our collaborations in the past, and we see this signing as
an accelerator for our ambitions regrind The Boxtones' future."

"Universal will be able to put us on paths we
previously wouldn't have been able to travel, or hadn't thought about
approaching." added Gill.

"Having the largest music corporation in the
world in our corner? Well, it's not too shabby!"

The first Boxtones' single under Universal is slated for release
post-Ramadan, with a new album in the pipeline towards the end of the year.
Check out the Boxtones' own Backstage spread on p18 and p19 this issue.